Blue Blooded Connection
by miekhead
Summary: Crossover - Christopher chooses Sherry over Lorelai leaving the innkeeper distraught and lost. A near accident causes her to find a friend willing to help her through her heartache.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Another fun one to write. I even thought myself a little harsh with how destroyed Lorelai felt during this chapter but she really needed to be out of it for the situation to work.

xoxoxoxox

"I can't talk to you right now," Lorelai Gilmore sniffled down the phone as the father of her teenage child groveled during what was possibly the fourth phone call within ten minutes.

"Please, just let me explain..." Christopher sounded desperate.

Lorelai gritted her teeth. "Just leave me alone, I'm driving." She hung up angrily and focused on the road, trying not to let the tears cloud her vision. She hadn't expected it, but the man just came out with it... so out of the blue. And she had been so happy…The fact that he had the guts to say that he couldn't decide who to go back to was just a kick in the gut. You just don't say that to somebody, even if you are coming to terms with your own feelings. You don't leave someone hanging like that. You just don't. The distraught woman let out a harsh sob and pulled over onto the emergency lane, realizing that she couldn't see. Her shoulders shook and she took in some deep breaths, trying to focus her tired eyes. Leaning on the steering wheel she let out as many tears as she could before indicating to get back onto the freeway. She wasn't safe and though she didn't really care, she knew she shouldn't do anything stupid.

Looking ahead she saw a sign and nodded, changing lanes until she found an exit to get onto the next freeway. She had no idea what she was doing but in her saddened state knew that she needed to get away and merging onto Saw Mill Parkway was the best thing to do.

One hour later and she was standing in Manhattan on Lexington Avenue having parked hazily in a private car park up the road. Coffee, that was all she needed and without a care in the world she walked around for what seemed like hours until she saw the Starbucks over the road and cried out in relief.

Stepping out into the road she jumped suddenly when a car screeched in front of her within a hairs distance of her legs and beeped its horn as it pulled an emergency stop. She stood motionless, her whole body frozen as she contemplated about what had just happened and how close she was to have nearly been hit. The beeping continued a few cabs down and she felt more tears running down her face wondering what the hell she should do. The dark thoughts that entered her head didn't help any and she stared vacantly into the first driver's face almost daring him to put his foot down.

She was unexpectedly tugged off the road and watched in pure silence as the traffic started to move once more, hurling abuse at her in confused anger.

"What the hell were you doing!" A strange voice filtered through her grief and she looked up into a woman's face. "You could have been killed!" Brilliant, saved by another Miss Proper. She could have well been Sherry for all Lorelai cared... she looked into the brunette's dark eyes and sighed, defeated. "Hello?" She really didn't know how to answer to the well dressed stranger and just stared, her eyes heavy and drooping. "Miss, are you okay?" The voice was softly spoken and sounded genuinely concerned.

"I...I wanted to get some coffee." She pointed slackly over to the Starbuck and began to cry again.

The woman looked over the lost looking lady and frowned. She was clearly having some sort of breakdown. Lorelai had a bump on her head and looked like she had been beaten around a little.

"What's your name?"

"Lorelai...really want some coffee now."

"Pretty name! When was the last time you slept, Lorelai?" The innkeeper was leaning against the stranger, her eyes still drooped.

"Dun remember..." The semi-conscious tall woman muttered, a steady stream of tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Oh dear, come on...let's get you somewhere safe," The kindly lady began to guide her down the road in a well navigated manner.

"I don't know you..." Lorelai was fading fast and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder, her breathing coming out in small pants and tickling her savior's neck.

Charlotte York looked at the tall woman slumped against her and huffed out a frustrated breath. Her load wasn't heavy but the gates to her apartment stood roughly thirty yards away and she felt she needed help. "Lorelai? You need to wake up for me a minute..." She smoothed the woman's cheek with her free hand. Something was telling her to help the poor brunette and that was just what she was going to do. It was the right thing to do.

"Ughh? Who are you?"

"Charlotte... We're nearly there, just trust me on this one."

"Where are we goin'?" Lorelai asked groggily.

"My apartment," Charlotte replied shortly, wishing the damn woman would move her feet properly.

"I don't know you," the innkeeper repeated and frowned confusedly.

"Sure you don't," Charlotte scoffed, "but you don't seem to mind using my breast as a handlebar either." Lorelai looked down dumbly and moved her hand up to the art dealer's shoulder for support, opening her bleary eyes to see where the fuck she was going. It really had hit her that fast. It was almost as if crying fuelled her energy as she drove but now that she was in New York she had no idea where she was going, why she was there or how the fuck she would get back to Stars Hollow. Her energy was thoroughly sapped she was fading extremely rapidly.

Eventually the smaller woman got past the main door of the building and asked a guard at the door to help her into the elevator and finally leant Lorelai against the wall as she clicked the floor to her apartment. "Lorelai?"

"Uhh?"

"Can you tell me if you took anything? Pills of any sort?" Naturally Charlotte was worried at the lack of response coming from the seemingly exhausted woman. Her eyes had such dark bags under them she looked like she had been punched. There was a small graze on her head and she seemed a little concussed.

"Nooo..." Lorelai whined, though her head pounded like fuck so pills sounded pretty damn good at that minute.

"Are you sure?" Charlotte watched as the five-year-old-like adult nodded in annoyance.

"Tired." Lorelai mumbled, grumbling.

"How did you get that bump on your head?" She smoothed over the sore area with her palm.

"Fell over, I think."

"You think?" Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. "Are you..Are you in trouble?"

"N-No. I..I needed to get away."

"Get away?" Charlotte's curiosity was piqued.

Lorelai nodded sadly as they began to make their way to Charlotte's Park Avenue apartment, turning through the corridors. "I didn't want to be on my own anymore while I was waiting for him."

"Him? Who's him?" Lorelai found herself drooped against a fancy looking door frame and though she had no idea where she was felt comfort in the smaller woman helping her.

"My boyfriend."

"Does he hit you?" Charlotte asked, still worried by the bump on Lorelai's head.

"What? No!" Now Lorelai was mildly lucid. "He broke up with me. Chose somebody else instead...I think," the sleepy innkeeper muttered.

"You think?"

"Can't make his damn mind up. Keepin' me waitin'," Lorelai slurred out. Soon she began to cry again, exhaustion wafting over her being, like a small child who hadn't had her midday nap. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept, though Charlotte predicted it was at least over twenty hours ago.

"I'm sorry..."Charlotte shook her head, feeling sad for the woman. The image of Lorelai staring the cab driver in the face flashed in the back of her mind and she shuddered, thanking God that she was there at the right place at the right time.

"'S'not your fault." Lorelai stopped and looked up at the setting she was in, the rich looking interior reminding her so much of home. Home. It was a long time she had called her parent's house 'home' but in her exhaustion that's what it was to her. She knew she was being oversensitive but just the thought of being able to hug someone back in Connecticut caused her to sniffle. Rory, Sookie...she would even welcome a hug from her mother. It was then when Lorelai knew she was totally alone in this strange place and wished she hadn't been stupid enough to drive when she was emotionally unstable.

"Heyy, don't cry..." Charlotte bent down and smoothed a tear away. "Oh honey it's okay, come on let's get you to the bedroom.." She brought the upset adult over to her parlor where she sat her down on the bed and moved the moppy hair away from the crying woman's face. She walked into her immaculate closet and brought out an old pair of Trey's flannel pajamas realizing that they were about the right size for the stranger in front of her. "You want to put these on?"

Lorelai just nodded, the thought of a nice, pressed down bed causing her mind to shut down. She took the pajamas off her new apparent friend and began to strip down causing Charlotte's eyes to bug out and her cheeks to flush. She turned her back suddenly and felt a splutter emerging from her throat. "Oh god…" Charlotte closed her eyes and braced herself against the dresser, muttering gently. What she hadn't expected was for the tall woman to be completely pantyless, wearing only her jeans as she shrugged them off almost drunkenly.

Keeping her mind busy and by trying to bring down the blush on her cheeks, she gathered an extra quilt from the wardrobe and walked into the living room, plopping it on the couch just in case it got too late and she wanted to sleep.

Charlotte peered into her bedroom where she noticed Lorelai trying to take off her bra with great difficulty. "Here," she slipped behind the tired innkeeper and unclasped the stranger's pink monkey bra, then turned her back once more when Lorelai finally managed to dress herself. She peeled back the covers and offered the curly haired woman the bed, watching her slip under the covers with an almost pained groan and fall asleep almost instantaneously.

It was then Charlotte York thought about things, what she had just done and the neurotic woman began to freak.

There is a stranger in my bed… A female stranger. I picked her off the street and she's practically unconscious…in my bed. This is the first time since Trey that somebody has been in my bed and it's a woman.

Cautiously, Charlotte brought a small dish with water in it and some cotton balls over and began to dab at the graze finding small bits of grit on the sleeping woman's forehead. It settled her nerves and she inspected closer, wiping the blood of the lonely looking lady's face. It did look like Lorelai had fallen over and she felt a little weird about not bringing the younger woman to the emergency room…was she younger? The brown haired romantic couldn't really tell and smoothed back Lorelai's hair. The woman was pouting in her sleep, and it caused Charlotte to give a tiny smile as she shook her head lightly.

She got up and went to the phone, about to call Carrie when she stopped, thought better of it and went to read a newspaper in the living room cuddling up in her extra quilt.

She didn't want to hear about what her friend's had to say. She didn't give a damn about whether picking someone off the street was the right thing to do or not. She knew that her girlfriends wouldn't really care for that kind of thing and they certainly wouldn't have done it themselves but what she did know was that Lorelai, who was passed out in her bed was in need and she could most certainly wait until she woke up to find out what was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

Lorelai woke up with a groan, her head fuzzy and the back of her eyes sore. "Hi," a calm voice interrupted the stillness of the angelic room.

"Hullo…" the bed ridden woman's throat was stinging from sleep and she cleared it to stop the husk. "How long was I out?"

"A day…" Charlotte was sat on the edge of the bed looking her over with a concerned face.

"A..a day!"

"Yeah," the lady handed Lorelai a glass of water. The innkeeper smiled weakly as thanks and took a sip. "Umm…how are you feeling? I'm sorry I brought you here but I was sort of worried."

"I was really bad, wasn't I?" Lorelai admitted with a sad frown.

"A little. I had to get the porter to help me carry you to the elevator." The innkeeper groaned in embarrassment and lay back against the bed. "I had to keep checking to see if you were actually breathing because you slept so long." Charlotte gave a laugh which disappeared quickly, revealing how scared she was.

"I am so sorry." The mortification was getting to Lorelai and she bowed her head feeling like she wanted to disappear there and then.

"Hey it wasn't like you were drunk or anything…" she paused a little and her eyes became wide. "You weren't drunk, were you?"

"No, no! I wasn't drunk…just," she finally couldn't stand the scrutiny anymore and hopped out of the beautiful bed, wincing at the pain in her neck. She felt a little dizzy and wavered on her feet, blinking her eyes to focus.

"Hey..hey, just…sit back down. Sit back down." Charlotte held onto the tall woman's pajama covered bicep and guided her back onto the bed.

"I'm fine," Lorelai grumbled and cautiously touched her head. "What's this?" She felt the cotton gauze on her forehead.

"I..I wanted to close your graze. It was pretty nasty." Lorelai was moved that she had been looked after so well.

"Thank you," she allowed a smile.

"So tell me," Charlotte wanted information. "Where are you from? I mean..you looked like you didn't know where you were going so… my New Yorker radar went "Ding ding not.""

Lorelai giggled, then became a little nervous. "I'm from Connecticut." She dared to look into Charlotte's face. Urghhh…. She was so prim and proper it made her want to heave but the lady was nice to her and had helped her significantly.

"Where? I might know it." Charlotte had a challenging expression on her face.

"Oh…no, it's so small. Like Danny DeVito small. Tiny little town called Stars Hollow." She looked up suddenly when the stranger began to laugh.

"Oh I know it alright…" She pointed to herself, "Wolcott girl."

"Get out!" Lorelai squealed.

"It's my apartment," Charlotte chuckled, going on the mock defensive.

"Touché." Lorelai settled against the bed and looked around seeing her host dressed in a robe with sleep mussed hair. "Shit… I'm sorry for stealing your bed like this. I didn't know I'd sleep all day."

"Neither did I…but I don't really mind." The brown eyed woman waved her hand dismissively and smiled. "My couch was ordered purely for the purpose of being able to have naps… an eight hour nap should suffice." She tittered lightly then sobered. "Just glad you're okay."

Lorelai felt a bit deterred at the stranger's warmth. "I am…really." She tried to change the subject. "Sooooo, why on Earth would you leave friendly old Wolcott behind?" she laughed sarcastically. "I bet I know."

"Oh you do, do you?" Charlotte smirked.

"Yup," Lorelai chirped and settled herself.

"My—"

"Parents." The innkeeper got ahead of her new friend and smirked.

"So you're the same?" Charlotte was intrigued and got comfy on the bed sitting in front of Lorelai and crossing her legs. Her eyes twinkled as she rested her hand on a fist and smiled.

Oh god… Lorelai absorbed the Pollyanna-like attitude of the woman and inwardly groaned. These were the kind of women that she was forced to talk to at her mother's functions. She guessed that as soon as she left the bed, Charlotte would disinfect the sheets three times and wash them two times before putting them into her immaculate closet. She then realized she had a question to answer… "Yep. Well, my parents live in Hartford, I escaped with the short distance to Stars Hollow."

"Crazy place," Charlotte muttered causing Lorelai to smirk.

"Right? Totally insane…but I love it. It's my home," she felt tears enter her eyes and went very quiet.

"Do you..do you want to talk about it?" The other brunette placed her hand on top of Lorelai's, her eyes compassionate.

Lorelai cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm fine… I mean, it's not the end of the world, right? I mean… I'll find someone else."

"You will." Charlotte smiled and squeezed her hand. "Oh! I forgot to tell you, I think he called. I saw your phone go off and it said Rory so I just turned it off because it kept beeping at me."

"My daughter…"

"Pardon?"

"Rory is my daughter."

"Oh… sorry. Shouldn't you go back to her?" Lorelai nodded and closed her eyes, squeezing the tears from her eyes before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"She'll probably enjoy a few days without me."

"Apparently not, seeing as she called you four times. How old is she?"

"Seventeen."

"Wow…" Charlotte felt it rude to ask any more questions but the woman was so mysterious and enticing to her.

"Yeah," she looked at the phone that Charlotte handed her and her fingers shook as she took it from the lady.

"I'll leave you alone." The woman smiled and left the room, trying not to eavesdrop as Lorelai called home.

Lorelai turned the phone on and shook her head at the nine missed calls. Four from Rory. Two from her mother, two from Sookie and one from Luke. She didn't even want to listen to the six answer phone messages.

She selected Rory and dialed the number, breathing a shaky sigh as she brought the cell to her ear. The phone rang and was picked up on the second ring. "Mom!"

Lorelai closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "… It's me."

"Mom," Rory let out a sob, failing to keep her emotions in. "Where are you?"

"I am so sorry," Lorelai sniffled. "I am so so sorry."

Rory sat down as she felt herself nearly faint with relief. "It's okay, whatever it is it's okay," She sighed and rubbed her head.

"N-No…" her mother whimpered. "It's not okay."

"Are you okay? Where are you?" The Chilton student was frantic.

"In..in New York. Some swanky apartment… I, somebody found me and is looking after me."

Charlotte couldn't help but listen. The woman in her bed had so much mystery surrounding her that it was hard not to be intrigued. "She's a bit like grandma," Lorelai giggled. "No, wait…okay that's mean… let's say she's like Sherry…but with brown hair."

"Ewww," Rory said supportively and Charlotte on the other end could not avoid being a little hurt at the tone in Lorelai's voice. Especially when she had no idea who the woman was talking about, but it didn't sound good. "Are you okay?"

"A bump on the head," Lorelai said honestly. "I was so tired and sad I can't really remember anything." She took a deep breath. "I'll be okay, kiddo. I'll be home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah…oh shoot, is that okay with you? My head's all over the place. Will you be okay on your own?"

Rory smiled for once in twenty-four hours since she had realized her mother had disappeared. "I'll be fine knowing you're okay. I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, sweets." Lorelai wiped her eyes. "C-can you call Mom for me? I can't face her right now," she weeped, unable to even think at how Emily would react.

"I'll let everybody know," her daughter reassured her, "you just get some rest and try not to think about everything."

"See you tomorrow," Lorelai croaked out before hanging up and burying her head in her hands and letting her tears out once more.

Charlotte hovered outside her bedroom and closed her eyes in torment at the sound of crying. She wasn't quite sure what to do and knocked softly before peering in. "Are you okay?" She saw Lorelai sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her head in her lap. A small nod greeted her. "I…I know you don't know me very well, but if you want to talk… you know where I am." She said, daring to reach out with her hand to touch the bouncy curls of Lorelai's hair.

Lorelai looked up, her face drenched with tears. "I feel like I'm losing myself," the woman said with a hoarse whisper. "I don't act like this at all…ever and I get hurt by one guy and I feel like my life is worthless… I mean what the fuck? This isn't me…this isn't what I do, I…" Lorelai shook her head and thumped it against her fist in frustration. "I hate myself so much right now-"

"Hey…shh, don't talk about yourself like that," Charlotte shuffled closer. "I know it doesn't feel so good when people say it but I do know how you feel," the straight-laced woman mentioned. "I just separated with my husband."

"I'm sorry…" Lorelai wiped her eyes and looked up.

"Oh don't be… It's not your fault," She smiled softly, wrapping her arm around the tall woman's back. "Some days are hard, you know?" The innkeeper nodded. "But it will get better." Charlotte stroked her forearm gently, "And I know you probably hate it when people say that too…" Charlotte smiled gently, "But it will. I can make sure of it."

"Thank you," Lorelai said sincerely as she took the proffered tissue from Charlotte's hand and wiped her tears away.

"Now… let's get you out of those horrible nightclothes and see if you want to do anything before you leave tomorrow."

"Tomorr—I didn't…" Lorelai looked troubled, then saw the woman's wide eyes.

"I'm sorry." The other brunette looked utterly ashamed. "I didn't mean to spy… it's just… I know I don't really have an excuse but it's kind of the first time I ever picked someone off the street and you're so mystifying and…"

"It's okay," Lorelai smirked. "I…I'm sorry for calling you my mother… and for calling you Sherry."

"Who's Sherry? And then I'll decide if you're forgiven," Charlotte's eyes glinted.

"Umm… my apparent ex-boyfriend and father of my child's new partner."

"Oh…"

"Yeah," Lorelai looked down. "So I'm sorry for calling you Sherry." She looked up hesitantly, "Am I forgiven?"

"I'm gonna have to think about that," the smaller woman grinned with a little flirt to her voice. She helped the woman out of bed and let her get changed until the innkeeper called to say she had finished. Lorelai was still wavering a little, although mainly from dehydration and felt calmed that the art curator was guiding her into the kitchen. "Would you like some breakfast? I have a little eggs and bacon left over," Charlotte smiled kindly.

"That would be amazing thanks. I still can't believe how nice you're being," Lorelai frowned.

"Well…seeing as you're from Stars Hollow… you'd probably do the same thing, right?"

"See, I think you know that town a little too well." Lorelai laughed.

"I can't tell you the amount of times I've passed through on the way home."

"Really?" Lorelai asked shyly, feeling a little proud at her hometown.

"Absolutely," Charlotte dished the food up and handed a plate to Lorelai who gratefully tucked in.

"Oh man this is good…" The seated woman swooned and moaned as she licked her lips. "Wow oh wow…"

"I'm guessing you like food." Charlotte watched as her guest dived into the brunch offering small grunts of appreciation.

"I like any food… well not stuffy food, the kind my mom tried to feed me… and I'm not a veggie girl."

"Are you serious?"

"Eggplants are evil and don't get me started with the tomatoes… or the mushrooms."

"But they're so good for you!" Charlotte enthused.

"And they are mean to my taste buds… so no." Lorelai polished the food off and stuck her finger in the left over grease causing her host to flinch as she sucked it off her finger. Lorelai looked up to see the woman eyeing her with a little distaste. "I'm…I'm sorry, that was disgusting." The innkeeper apologized. "I just… I'm so hungry," she felt her voice waver, feeling sorry for herself again. "Listen, I'll leave. I'm…thank you so much for looking after me, I better get back home." Lorelai pushed her plate away and stood up, making her way towards the bedroom, then finding herself in the wrong room and getting herself into a tizzy.

"Lorelai…" Charlotte stood up quickly and followed the lost woman into the… crap.

"Sorry! Sorry," Lorelai quickly turned, embarrassed that she had seen a nursery of some sort and realizing that she had been even ruder by walking around somebody's house without being asked.

"It's okay!"

"I'm sorry…I'll just, if I can find my bag I'll leave." The woman gripped her head as she felt an ache start at her forehead as she rushed around trying to find her purse until a hand stopped her.

"Will you just calm down?" Charlotte tutted as she pulled the woman to stop. "Now… you wanna go to a coffee shop and regroup or do you seriously want to spend nearly two hours in rush hour trying to get home?"

Lorelai stared at the brunette for a long time. "Okay…"

"Okay to which?" Charlotte asked with a challenging glint in her eye.

"The first one," Lorelai moped. "S-"

"If the next word that comes out of your mouth is 'sorry' I insist you go home."

"Sorry," Lorelai laughed. "Where are we going then?"

"Oooh, a little café down the road, really cute… best cappuccino in the Central Park area, promise."

"I like the sound of that," the innkeeper nodded.

"We can get some food in you too…it'll save you from licking my floor." The adopted New Yorker chuckled causing Lorelai to blush.

Within twenty minutes, the girls were making their way down 73rd Street, making their way to Via Quadronno, one of Charlotte's particularly favorite coffee stops.

"So I suppose a congratulations is in order though," Lorelai smiled weakly.

"For…?" Charlotte was a little confused.

"Umm, I saw the nursery and I thought..." She saw Charlotte's face go sour, "Well apparently, I just stuck my foot in it, didn't I?" The taller woman admitted embarrassedly.

Charlotte merely squared her jaw and nodded, not saying anything more. Lorelai kept quiet until she found herself looking around the very refined looking café, standing at the bar and asking for a double espresso, a chocolate cornetti, a salami Panini and a cappuccino.

Charlotte hadn't said a word, apart from ordering a powdered cappuccino and a small brioche. The women sat down and waited for their food while they sipped on their already made drinks. "Listen," Lorelai hesitated, feeling as if she were stepping on very thin ice, "I'm sorry if I offended you… I had no right to assu—"

"I can't have children." Charlotte whispered suddenly in a haunted tone, her eyes not taking off her cup.

The statement took Lorelai by surprise and she suddenly seemed to take great interest in the rim of her espresso cup. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Charlotte gave her a gentle smile. "Apparently my body likes to attack sperm." She looked at Lorelai's upset face. "Oh hey, it's okay… it's kind of funny when you think about it. I have this reputation. I clean, I keep things very tidy and make sure my health is 100%. Apparently my body seems to think that's best too. I can just imagine all these little antibodies with marigolds on and aprons."

"I don't think it's funny. That sucks for you," Lorelai mumbled.

Charlotte grinned at the pouty woman. "It does, but I'll deal. I've kind of always loved to adopt. I've always wanted that but I've always wanted to feel a baby kicking, you know?" Lorelai nodded and gave a tight lipped smile. "Can…can I ask, is it really as good as people say it is?"

The innkeeper stared with her blue eyes. They were still a little swollen from crying but she felt calmer in herself. "At first it was horrible," Lorelai admitted. "But I was sixteen, my parents were crazy at me, the people at school thought I was a slut…"

"I don't think you're a slut," Charlotte felt her voice husk and blushed. It sometimes did that, either when she was upset, or if she was in bed with somebody.

"You barely know me," Lorelai laughed.

"Yeah but I can tell. You know? You can just…tell sometimes and…" Charlotte laughed at her own babbling then gestured for the woman to carry on.

"So anyway… the first few months, not much fun. But then I felt her kick and squirm about, or she'd get the hiccups and I just wanted to cry."

She looked at Charlotte and noticed she had made the woman upset. "I'm sorry."

Charlotte fanned at her eyes to stop the tears, "No..no carry on. I want to know."

"And then the first sonogram, it was amazing. I could see her little hands and feet," Lorelai's eyes sprinkled with tears as she recalled the day. Charlotte wiped her eyes with a napkin and grinned.

"I was told I could go for in vitro," she looked at Lorelai seriously as the woman took a big bite out of her cornetti. "What do you think?"

"Could you afford it?" Lorelai gulped down her food, "I mean.. I'm sorry that was blunt, but could you?"

"I think so," Charlotte nodded, getting more and more enthusiastic. "And I could find a suitable sperm donor and… but I won't have anyone. I won't…" The woman choked up suddenly.

Lorelai was glad they were sat next to the bar and got up, turning towards it. "Can I have a cup to go?"The man behind the cash register looked at the woman's partner wracking with sobs and nodded, handing a cardboard cup over. The standing brunette tipped her new friend's cappuccino into the takeaway beaker and stroked Charlotte's hair away from her face. "Come on, let's go find somewhere private," she helped the woman up. "New Yorkers are nearly as nosy as Nutmeggers," Lorelai whispered, wrapping the treats up in napkins. Charlotte gave a sniveling laugh and took Lorelai's hand in hers, only too happy to be brought out of the busy café.

They finally managed to find a free desolate bench in Central Park and Lorelai sat her new friend down, her hand lingering on Charlotte's shoulder. "I'm fine," the shorter brunette waved a dismissive hand, taking a shaky breath.

"Must suck… big time." Lorelai observed as she propped up her head with her hand.

"Suck is a good word for it." Charlotte smiled, wiping her eyes.

Lorelai mirrored the smile sympathetically and yawned a little. "'Suck' is my favorite word. Well…I have many but 'suck' is a good one."

"What is your second favorite word?" Charlotte decided to enjoy the banter and felt confident enough to turn and face her new friend once more.

"Hiatus… love it. I don't know why," Lorelai shrugged, that same schoolboy-like distant grin on her face.

"You are very strange." Charlotte tutted but couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.

"Charlotte?" Both women turned to see who was speaking and Lorelai noticed a tall redheaded woman in running approach them with a somewhat confused wave as she halted her midday jog.

"Miranda, hey!" Charlotte looked panicky for some reason. Probably a girlfriend of an ex or something, Lorelai thought to herself. "Umm, Miranda… this is Lorelai. She's…" Charlotte looked at the wild haired brunette for a second, "She's a friend from yoga."

"Hi," Miranda reached out to shake her hand. 'Woah, strong grip,' Lorelai smiled back politely and took her hand but was a little confused.

"Hi there," she spoke softly, wondering why Charlotte hadn't told the truth. A little perturbed, she discovered that Miranda was actually one of Charlotte's best friends and waved a goodbye when the lawyer ran away down the path after they had a quick chat and arranged a night out with the girls tomorrow.

"So…"

"That was my friend Miranda." Charlotte said nervously.

"And… well, listen I think I'm going to head off." It was so clear now. The prissy wannabe housewife was ashamed of her, like all those women she used to know.

"Head off? Lorelai, you don't even have the keys to my apartment." Charlotte laughed bewilderedly.

Lorelai got up and walked off, muttering a, "Yeah well."

"Lorelai?" Charlotte brow puckered and she chased the moody woman down the path until she had reached the gates of the park. "What the hell?"

Lorelai turned around angrily. "See, I thought you were different. This is why you moved to New York, right? To get away from all of that bullshit?" She shook her head in disgust. "You are all the same. I'm glad I moved away from that poisonous society when I was young enough to employ realism as a way of living…not some, some… excuse to parade around and oh my God why am I even bothering?" Tears ran down her eyes and she couldn't even look at the woman. She felt totally betrayed by the smallest thing and even that caused her to become more upset, confused as to why she let one little white lie get to her so severely. She was being dramatic, she knew she was, but she had to let it all out.

"Listen… I," Charlotte felt totally beaten, "What is your problem?" She became angry also and raised her voice, conscious of passers by. "I take you in, practically save your life and you shout at me like this? It's-"

"Yoga class? Why did I have to be in your yoga class? Why couldn't I be the woman you helped, the one you nursed back to health? The woman who was so close to killing herself it's unreal!" Lorelai screamed and lifted her trouser leg. "This is what yoga class did to me." She pointed to the pin scars in her legs. "Fifteen years ago…Two different places… So I don't think I'd be in your yoga class."

Turning on her heel, she took a few steps, then sighed and turned around. "I'd like to take my bag please." Charlotte felt irrational tears fall down her face and she slowly began to follow the silent woman back to her apartment. She had no idea why she had lied. She didn't know why she was ashamed. Whatever it was, she knew she had to make amends with Lorelai before she left for Connecticut otherwise she would never hear from her ever again.


End file.
